Up-to-the minute updates and insights from the Red Wings locker room at home and on the road. By Chuck Pleiness of The Macomb Daily.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Red Wings take Ferraro with first 2nd-rounder

Landon Ferraro, a center from the Red Deer Rebels, was taken by the Red Wings with their first second-round pick, the 32nd overall.

"I can't be any happier," Ferraro told the NHL Network. "Obviously I was disappointed slipping yesterday. But I'm in a Red Wings jersey now. It's a great organization."

This is an excellent value. Ferraro was rated No. 17 overall by International Scouting Services. Ferraro is an excellent goal-scorer with great hockey sense. According to ISS, the downsides for this 17-year-old (he turns 18 on Aug. 8), are defensive play and size (5-11, 165).

The NHL's Central Scouting, however, disagrees about Ferraro's defensive play.

"He's very good defensively," said NHL Central Scouting’s Blair MacDonald. "He has very good defensive positioning; he's always on the right side of the puck. If there's a turnover he's in good position right away. And he comes back deep in his own zone to help. He's very strong defensively, as well as being an offensive threat."

Ferraro is the son of 400-goal scorer Ray Ferraro. Landon Ferraro was coached at Red Deer by former Red Wing Jesse Wallin.

"Ferraro is the most highly-touted of the (Rebel’s prospects)," said Wallin. "He's got great natural ability, he's got tremendous speed and he's got that knack to score goals that you can't teach. He's got that innate ability to find the net that makes him a special player."